Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown (Friday, September 25, 2026) emanates live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana and will air starting at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Results, match winners, promo segment notes and other major developments from WWE's blue brand will be added below as Friday Night SmackDown airs.
Preview & Predictions for WWE SmackDown:
On tap for tonight's episode, CM Punk, Gunther and Finn Balor battle for a place in the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, while Charlotte Flair, Giulia and Lash Legend collide for a spot in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
It's amazing how Blake Monroe has been on the SmackDown roster for MONTHS and is just waiting to do something. Surely, the character would have at least wanted to be in a qualifier for Money in the Bank, right? Apparently not. But hey, she's going to probably cost Giulia the win by making an appearance here to interfere. With that in mind, between Flair and Legend as the two other options, Flair makes the most sense if they're going for star power and people who appear as though they could actually win, while Legend is a better choice if they want to throw in some new blood and a tall woman for spots. I'm guessing Flair wins, but she did blow out that bad luck candle that Tatum Paxley had, which may have been a setup.
The men's Money in the Bank qualifier is a tough one. Finn Balor immediately stands out as the guy to take the pin, but between Gunther and CM Punk, I'm not sure which one will win. If I had to pick, I'd lean toward Punk. The Ring General's more mat-based technical wrestling style doesn't suit the ladder match as well, and Punk is still the bigger star between the two of them. Plus, Gunther tends to be protected, and these Triple Threats are structured often to include someone who won't win, so I could see Gunther having Balor dead to rights and Punk swooping in to steal the pin.
The six-woman tag is the sort of match where WWE can move several stories forward without putting any championships on the line. Jacy Jayne is already qualified for Money in the Bank, while Chelsea Green, Tiffany Stratton, Paige, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid all have existing title issues around them. I definitely expect Fatal Influence to take this with some help from Nikki Bella interfering to set up a future title match against Green.
Trick Williams retains over Baron Corbin, obviously. This steel cage match should end their feud.
Here are your results for WWE SmackDown - September 25, 2026:
- Steel Cage Match for the United States Championship: Trick Williams (c) defeated Baron Corbin by pinfall to retain the title. Corbin kicked the cage door into Lil Yachty during the match, only for Yachty to slam it into Corbin when he later tried to escape. Corbin survived the Trick Shot and nearly won after hitting a Deep Six, but Williams followed with three straight Book Ends to secure the victory.
- Lash Legend spoke with Cathy Kelley and Nia Jax before her Money in the Bank qualifier. Legend said she was not worried about the accomplishments of Charlotte Flair or the toughness of Giulia and predicted she would eventually use the Money in the Bank contract to become WWE Women's Champion.
- WWE announced during the broadcast that the September 30 WWE x AAA Worlds Collide event will stream on YouTube.
- Nick Aldis summoned CM Punk to his office for a meeting with Kevin Owens. Aldis warned both men to stop interfering in one another's careers and specifically told Owens not to disrupt Punk's Money in the Bank qualifier. Punk said he had no problem avoiding Owens provided Owens returned the favor. Owens walked out without giving Aldis an answer.
- Chelsea Green worried backstage about a potential Money in the Bank cash-in and Nikki Bella targeting her championship. Paige told Green to concentrate on their upcoming six-woman tag instead. Nikki appeared once Paige and Tiffany Stratton had left and told Green that nobody would prevent her from becoming champion.
- Women's Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match: Lash Legend defeated Charlotte Flair and Giulia by pinning Giulia. Giulia stopped Flair from submitting Legend with the Figure Eight and took Flair down with the Arrivederci Knee and Northern Lights Bomb. Legend broke up the ensuing pin and caught Giulia with the Lash Extension for the three-count.
- Michael Cole showed footage recorded after last week's interview with Cody Rhodes had seemingly concluded. Rhodes told Cole that if the situation arose again, he would kick Randy Orton's "[frick]ing head in." WWE also showed Orton confronting Cole earlier in the day and insisting that Cole interview him.
- Blake Monroe antagonized Giulia backstage about her defeat and told her to return to obscurity. Giulia attacked Monroe, leading to a pull-apart involving officials. Nick Aldis then booked Giulia vs Monroe for next week.
- Randy Orton told Michael Cole that Cody Rhodes has repeatedly reinvented himself throughout his career, whereas Orton has never pretended to be anything other than himself. Orton acknowledged the terrible things he has done while pursuing world championships and said Cody would have peaked if he was incapable of kicking him in the head. Orton aggressively demanded that Cole answer whether Cody could actually do it. Cole said no, after which Orton declared the interview finished.
- Sami Zayn claimed Nick Aldis did not want him as Undisputed WWE Champion and described himself as "the last real good guy." Finn Balor interrupted and accused Zayn of bringing his problems on himself by screwing over everyone around him, promising to pursue Zayn whether or not he qualified for Money in the Bank. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae then confronted Zayn over Gargano's promised championship opportunity. Zayn said Aldis rejected the title match but that he had instead secured Money in the Bank qualifiers for both Gargano and LeRae.
- Six-Woman Tag Team Match: Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid) defeated Chelsea Green, Tiffany Stratton and Paige by pinfall. Nikki Bella grabbed Paige's leg as she ran the ropes, opening the door for Jayne to hit the Rolling Encore and pin Paige.
- WWE announced the final Money in the Bank qualifying matches for next week. Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae will compete for the final women's spot, while Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano will face off for the final men's position. Giulia vs Blake Monroe was also confirmed.
- Men's Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match: CM Punk defeated Finn Balor and Gunther by pinning Gunther. Gunther applied a sleeper hold to Punk late in the match. Balor capitalized by hitting Gunther with the Coup de Grace, but Punk immediately covered Gunther himself and stole the three-count to advance to Money in the Bank.
What are your thoughts on tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown? Drop your reactions in the comments below and spark a discussion!